Community Agency Trust

Transcription

1 Community Agency Trust Dorothy H. Anderson, Ph.D. Department of Forest Resources University of Minnesota GLNF CESU Annual Meeting May 18, 2006 St. Paul, MN 55108

2 Thinking about Trust Thinking about Trust Community Benefits Place Dependency Trust

3 Managing for Community Benefits Community benefits: Benefits resulting from public land management that accrue to communities nearby or adjacent to public lands. These benefits are associated with the social, biophysical and economic attributes of a community and should enhance a community s social, natural, and economic capital. Community benefits value the community and add value to the lives of the people living in the community.

4 Benefits Community Residents Benefits Community Residents Believe Public Lands Provide 1. Protection of areas providing habitat for local wildlife & plant life (N) 2. Better opportunity to protect water & air quality of community (N) 3. A feeling that community is a special place to live (S) 4. Places to conserve various ecosystems (N) 5. A natural setting in which community can take pride (N & S) 6. A chance to attract tourism dollars in the community (E) 7. A feeling of community pride (S) 8. Opportunities to observe wildlife near home (N & S) 9. Opportunities to preserve cultural traditions of community (S) 10. A greater understanding of the natural environment live in (N)

5 Managing Public Lands for Managing Public Lands for Community Benefits Targets all benefits derived from the landscape More than economic Increased tourism revenue may not be most important benefit Sense of security the natural environment exists Improves quality of life thru aesthetics & recreation Strong community attachment based on well managed public areas Benefits only realized IF : Public land managers understand community sense of place / place dependence Trust exists between community and public land managers

6 Benefit Production Managing Agency Manages Public Land Area Place Dependency Nature protection Family significance Community attachment Personal identification Recreation experience Trust in Agency Technical competence Moral competence Shared values Procedural justice Residents Living Residents Living In Communities Near Public Lands Community Attainment of Benefits Sustainable and Engaged Communities

7 Place and Place Attachment Sense of place: An amalgamation of knowledge, values, emotions and actions associated with a place Place attachment: A positive emotional or affective bond between a person and a place, reflecting needs-based and/or identity-based relationship

8 How does space become place? Historical and geographical ties History Geography Individual and social experiences Space Physical Attributes Place Meanings Place Meaning Individual Activities Social Activities Knowledge and familiarity Social Processes Psych Processes

9 Managing Place Attachment Managing Place Attachment Traditionally outdoor recreation settings viewed as collection of attributes Recreation settings unique and Providing benefit opportunities requires: Exploring the people-place relationship through place attachment

10 Community Place Attachment Community Place Attachment (Niobrara example) Oasis Identity River Meanings Tonic Nature Shared meanings and metaphors

11 Web of Meanings autonomy stability individual history family neighborly community rural character Identity security access water economics Oasis enjoyment share with others River Meanings Tonic solitude scenic beauty freedom escape Nature ecology undisturbed wildlife habitat Inter- and Intra-connectedness of river meanings

12 Potential Benefits of Potential Benefits of Place Attachment Motivates people to get involved in resource management Encourages environmentally responsible behavior Plays vital role in how individuals act in management decisions and politics Acts as a way of uniting concerned individuals Not only provides insight into recreation benefits public lands provide, also influences creation and maintenance of social capital and trust

13 Social Capital: Social Capital: Trust & Community Connectedness What is social capital? The level of trust, interaction, relationship, and positive emotions between individuals and/ or groups within a given social structure Paxton (1999)

14 Social Capital and Public Land Social Capital and Public Land Management Built on trust Result in high levels of connectedness Between individuals in communities Between community groups Between community members/groups and agencies Between individuals within agencies Assures benefits of managed lands accrue to communities

15 What do we know about trust? What do we know about trust? Trust is: essential to every social relationship or social system integral to the exercise of power key to effective public land management Trust is expectation that the agency is: technically competent and able to perform well morally competent and will show particular concern for others values ahead of one s own

16 Examining Trust between Examining Trust between Communities and Agencies Qualitative Interviews: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI (NPS) Ozark National Scenic Riverways,, MO (NPS) Niobrara National Scenic River, NE (NPS) Hiawatha National Forest, MI (USDA FS) Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, IL (USDA FS) Mark Twain National Forest, MO (USDA FS) Kaskaskia Watershed, IL (USACE) Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, MN (USFWS) Quantitative surveys Lake Shelbyville, IL (USACE) Carlyle Lake, IL (USACE) Navigation Project, IL (USACE) Voyageurs National Park, MN (NPS)

17 Outcome-based Trust Themes (manager interviews) Values: Conservation Recreation Economics Cultural preservation Knowledge: Agency science Community knowledge Capacity: Cost effectiveness Timeliness Commitment and consistency Enforcement

18 Process-based Trust Themes (community member interviews) Communication: Two-way Frequent Consistent Honest Informal Clear Relevant Promote understanding Display respect Collaboration: Authentic Equitable Cooperation: Shared responsibility Shared rewards

19 What do we need to know to build What do we need to know to build trust and provide benefits? Agency Community Organization Culture Structure Policies and procedures Resources Context Social setting Political setting Biophysical setting Community Culture Structure Policies and procedures Resources Engagement Dependence Engagement Dependence Individual Values Knowledge Emotions Relationship (process) Communication Collaboration Cooperation Individual Values Knowledge Emotions Transaction (outcomes) Values Knowledge Capacity Trust Building Framework Trust

20 Trust Dimensions Trust Dimensions TRUST Technical Competence Moral Competence Government Shared Values Procedural Justice Social

21 Measuring Community Benefits, Measuring Community Benefits, Place Dependency, and Trust Benefit scales Importance Attainment Place attachment scales Community attachment Nature protection Emotional dependence Family significance Personal identity Carlyle Lake, IL Trust scales Technical Moral Shared Procedural Social Government Community Survey Civic Engagement

22 Key Findings: Benefits Key Findings: Benefits Individual Enjoy / experience nature Opportunity to learn, be creative, take risks Family togetherness Be with similar people Get physically fit Provides relief from everyday social pressures Community Provides community members chance to live in a healthy environment Helps provide a stable local/ regional economy Increases job opportunities Attracts tourism Maintain outdoor lifestyle Improves soil, water, air quality Knowing natural resources will exist for future generations Provides better quality of life Provides opportunities for community to protect/conserve its natural resources

23 Key Findings: Place Dependency Key Findings: Place Dependency Kaskaskia (Lake Shelbyville, Carlyle Lake, Navigation Project) Puts community on the map Contributes to character of the community Allows preservation of wildlife habitat Special place for family Family memories are tied to the area Best place to do the kinds of things I like doing Community s economy depends on the project even if individual s job does not Voyageurs National Park Protects nature Protects lands from development Family memories are tied to the area Personal identification with the area it is who I am Preserves habitat for wildlife Best place to do the kinds of things I like to do

24 Key Findings: Trust Key Findings: Trust Generally trust other people but NOT government Little trust in agency at national level; more trust in agency at local level Change in trust at local level over time changes slowly Believe that agency personnel are technically and morally competent Do not believe agency shares community values Do not interact well with agency Planning and management decision making process is unfair Civic engagement is low in terms of investment of personal time, energy and resources

25 Trust, Communities, & Public Trust, Communities, & Public Land Managers For communities dependent on nearby resource areas: Positive management outcomes not enough to build and maintain trust Residents expect and demand to be engaged in the process of planning and management Trust integral to effective & durable management and benefits dependent on trust

26 What do we gain? (Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge) Place and trust interaction: Increasing place attachment directly increases trust and indirectly increases civic action Increasing trust directly increases civic action Trust Place Attachment Civic Action

27 Cultural Constraints: trust and community benefits Historical resentment Eminent domain Broken promises Lack of community participation Apathy Economics Time, Energy, Resources Sociocultural boundaries us and them Economic status Lifestyle Language Local/non-local Competing values Limited community awareness/interest

28 Institutional Constraints: Institutional Constraints: trust and community benefits Budget shortfalls Staff shortages Ineffective leadership Staff turnover Inconsistent management Lost knowledge & personal relationships Inadequate public engagement Planning process predicament (upward accountability) Internal reporting (paperwork) versus service (fieldwork) Complex and time consuming process

29 In Sum: In Sum: Managing Public Lands From a Trust, Place Dependence, and Benefits Approach means: Planning and managing public lands for and with Communities (procedural justice) Understanding how communities feel about the place in which they live (shared values) Integrating local values & knowledge into on-the-ground management (shared values and procedural justice) Emphasizing relationship building (interactions with public) Demonstrating capacity to make things happen (technical competence) Endorsing and facilitating relationship building in local communities (moral competence)

30 Thank You Thank You Acknowledgements: USDA Forest Service, North Central Research Station USDI National Park Service, Midwest Regional Office US Fish & Wildlife Service, Region 3 US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis Regional Office